Thieves Alike

     Zena walked down the main hall of their headquarters en route to Natasha's office. Like a prisoner in her own body, her mind fought ineffectively for her body to turn around, and before she knew it, she was rapping on the Aisha's door. Natasha welcomed her in and she entered as though nothing was wrong.

     "How'd your meeting go? Are you going to visit your brother?" the Purple Aisha asked Zena, expecting a different answer than she got.

     "No, I changed my mind. Nathan needs our help with something this evening. He requested to see you and Grutee," Zena's body answered. The hypnosis spell Nathan casted on Zena was strong. Even though she tried screaming and kicking to fight off the spell, her body showed no sign of a struggle.

     "Oh, of course. I just finished my paperwork for the day. I can go see him now," she said with a kind smile. "I'm guessing you will visit Hector after you help Nathan?"

     "No, he's taken no effort to visit me. I really don't think it's necessary," Zena's body answered. Zena wanted to cry. How could she say something so mean and untrue? She wasn't even robotic in the way she talked. She sounded and acted like her regular self.

     "Really? Is everything okay?" Natasha asked. She knew how fondly Zena felt about her brother and the guilt she felt about not visiting him. "Even if he wanted to visit, he wouldn't know where to look. You go by a different name now."

     She's questioning me! She knows me! Zena said to herself. But would that be enough?

     "No, he knows about me. I was just too embarassed to say anything to you. He's ashamed of who I am," Zena's body falsely explained. This was indeed a strong and evil spell. She stopped struggling and listened to the fake conversation back and forth between her body and Natasha. Her mind drifted off to her younger years and her few last memories of her mom. Guilt flowed through her body upon the realization that she hadn't thought of her parents in a long time. Life had been too busy to focus on her own life.

     She looked down and felt her obsidian locket which housed the last picture she had of her mom. Then a realization hit her. She was holding the locket. Did she just move her body by herself? Maybe the counter spell did have some impact and the effect of the spell was beginning to wear off.

     Natasha started to leave the room after filing away her paperwork. Zena tried yelling that it was a trap, but she had lost the ability to use her body again.

     No, NO! I will not accept this! Zena shouted at her body. I am stronger than that! YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME!! I'M STRONGER THAN THAT!!

     "I AM IN CONTROL OF MYSELF!!" The Green Ixi screamed and dropped to her knees. Natasha turned around to see her friend on the floor.

     "Obs? What happened? Are you sure you're okay?" Natasha asked. Zena's heart rate increased as if making up for lost time when a huge sense of relief overcame her. She got up and hugged her friend, crying into her shoulder.

     "No, no it's not," she said, and explained what had happened when she met with Nathan. She explained his plans to create an army with Theives Alike's members and to change them all into Mutants. Then she explained how she was hypnotized not to say anything, but that her counter spell appeared to have weakened the effects.

     "What do we do?" Natasha asked.

     "I don't know, but we need to stop him," Zena said. She tried to concentrate, but the conversation she had with Nathan kept reciting in her head. She almost understood safeguarding the guild against spies and the Defenders, but hypnotizing Neopians to build an army? Then she paused her thoughts for a moment upon the realization of something. "Wait a minute, Tash. I have an idea!"

     *********

     Zena approached the guild's training field, located just outside of Neopia Central limits. The large and spacious field was an ideal spot for training because it was out of view from the community and the forest-lined perimeter was effective at muting all noise from the surrounding areas.

     Zena approached a dark, hooded figure standing in the middle of the field. He was holding a small pot with burning embers of select ingredients he added before her arrival. A pungent odour emitted from the pot as Nathan placed it on a small table beside him. Garter, Klep and Saber stood by his side and at least a hundred thieves formed a ring around them as they eagerly awaited Nathan's announcement.

     Even though she fought the urge to arrive a few minutes late, she arrived exactly at 7:00pm as Nathan had commanded. She couldn't risk having him think she was no longer under his enchantment. She almost gave it away with a gasp when she noticed two Faerie Unis locked up in a large metal cage beside him. It was Whinny and Ginny who they met on their way to Faerlieland for the first time. He had sworn to get even with them for their rude behaviour, even though he already had. Using Dark Magic, he had made them appear as Mutants whenever they looked into a reflective surface. But what did he have planned for them now?

     "Welcome, Obsidian. We have all been waiting for your arrival," Nathan said, displaying the crowd surrounding them as though she hadn't yet seen them.

     "As you requested, Nadyr," she said. She wasn't really sure how a hypnotized Zena should sound, so she decided to say as little as possible.

     "I thought I asked you to send Natasha and Grutee to my office," Nathan said in a muffled voice through his scarf. Zena panicked for a moment, not expecting that question.

     "I couldn't find them. They must have left early," she said. Nathan paused and examined her while Zena fought hard not to change her expression.

     "Figures. I should've called them to my office sooner, but I got caught up in finalizing these preparations," Nathan said, accepting the answer. "No worries. There's always tomorrow. It's you that I need right now."

     Nathan turned to the surrounding audience and lifted his right hand to quiet them down.

     "Thanks for coming everyone. You are all here to witness history as we open up a new chapter in our guild. As most of you are aware, we plan on creating an army powerful enough to defend against any other army Neopia has to offer. We are already growing strong. But what I introduce to you today will not only make us stronger, but it will make us undefeatable!" Nathan announced, tapping on the cage containing the two Unis. The crowd boomed with a responding cheer. Whinny and Ginny huddled together pleading for someone to show some mercy. Zena wanted to stop Nathan now, or at least let the Unis know that everything was going to be okay, but any sign of mercy would certainly give her away and foil her plans.

     "With the help of our guildmate, Obsidian, we will cast a spell to turn these Unis from delicate Faeries to fearsome Mutants. Not only will they look fearsome, but they will feel strength like no one has ever seen before. Watch out, their current containment will not withstand their new state of being!" Nathan shouted, making a fist, followed by an explosion motion with his hands. Zena gasped in response then held her mouth hoping Nathan didn't notice. Fortunately enough, everyone in the crowd gasped as well. Nathan had mentioned the ability to turn Neopians into Mutants, but she didn't suspect that it would happen so soon or that she would be involved.

     "Relax, I know what you're thinking, but I promise you they will be completely harmless to guild members. They will be under my control," Nathan said. Zena looked around. She started to feel a bit nervous. Her plan should already be in motion, but where were they?

     "So without further ado, I'd like to demonstrate what the future of Thieves Alike will look like!" Nathan announced followed by a roaring applause. Nathan pulled out his book and placed it on the table, beside the pot. A bookmark had marked the page he intended to read from. He looked over at Zena and asked her to recite a few words over and over once he started to recite the spell. Zena obeyed, but fought off a strong urge to panic as the memories of their last spell together rushed through her head like a tidal wave. Nathan grabbed her hands and closed his eyes.

     Everyone quieted down, leaving the air quiet apart from the whimpering Unis who had apologised profusely about their behaviour. Nathan ignored them and began reciting words from the book. At first only his voice was audible, but slowly Zena chimed in looking up towards the hill. Natasha and Grutee were supposed to alert the Defenders of Neopia, but they still hadn't appeared.

     "Close your eyes!" Nathan demanded. She closed her eyes and continued to chant. Maybe this was it. Maybe they would have to figure something else out. She was defenceless against a hundred thieves if she chose to break away now.

     A slight breeze flowed across her face followed by a strong wind. The pages of the Spellbook in front of them whipped in the wind and voices became distant as she slowly started to dip into unconsciousness. Though she could hear herself chanting the same words over and over again, it was although she had no more control of her voice. She was now one with Nathan. There was no going back. It was too late.

     "STOP RIGHT THERE!!" A voice boomed from the distance. Nathan and Zena continued to chant while swirls of dark matter hovered over the scared Unis. Zena was aware of the commotion as the army of thieves charged towards the Defenders, but just a moment before her mind drifted off completely.

     **********

     "Obsidian!! Obsidian!!" A female voice shouted out like a distant echo. Zena opened her eyes slowly to reveal a blurred battle scene around her.

     "Obsidian! Wake up!!" The voice became clearer. "Snap out of it!!" Zena realized she was still chanting as her gaze focussed in on the hooded Lutari in front of her. Klep, the Stealthy Blumaroo, shook Nathan violently to get him to snap out of his trance. Zena then turned her head to see Natasha shaking her.

     "Tash?" She asked when she finally stopped chanting.

     "Thank Fyora, Obs! We gotta get going before we're caught! The Defenders have arrived!" Natasha said, pulling at Zena's arm. Zena released her grip with Nathan and took a better look around. With the spell interrupted, the purple swirls surrounding the cage containing the two Unis faded away, allowing Grutee to break through the locked door. Chains were no match for the large Darigan Grarrl, but frightened out of their minds, the two Faerie Unis ran off without thanking him.

     In the distance she observed several Defenders staving off hoards of thieves, while other groups of thieves were successfully contained. Saber, the Stealthy Skeith, stood out like a sore thumb as he fought a Red Usul alongside Garter, the Stealthy Hissi. The Usul used her shield to block the blows Saber delivered from a sword that the thieves likely stole from her. Before long several other Defenders came to the Usul's aid and apprehended the two thieves.

     In front of her lay Nathan, who had dropped from exertion. Klep tried helping him up and Zena couldn't help but sense a feeling of jealousy. Nathan had been her friend since childhood, and he was now being aided by a thief whom he barely knew.

     "Back off," she directed at the Stealthy Blumaroo, feeling most of her energy coming back. "Why're you always taking what's not yours!"

     "And he's yours? Should I even address the irony of your question?" Klep laughed. "You better run away with your friend and leave him be."

     "As annoying as she is, she's right, Obs," Natasha called. Zena's head still felt clouded. Even though they may have been right, she couldn't leave Nathan lying there. And not with Klep.

     "I'll take him," Zena said in an aggressive tone to Klep.

     "I have my duties," Klep resisted. "He ordered that I stay." Zena knew Klep was hypnotized and could therefore not back down. It would have been a pointless battle to continue. She nodded to Natasha. They had to leave without him.

     "Go!" Nathan said weakly, but not to Zena. He looked up at Klep. "I want you to go. Before you get arrested."

     "Yes, of course," the Blumaroo obediently obliged. She glared at Zena and backed off. Zena knelt down to Nathan.

     "Are you okay?" She asked.

     "What happened?" Nathan asked, confused. "I don't remember coming here."

     "You weren't yourself. I don't know what happened," Zena said. "But we have to go."

     "Is this a good idea?" Natasha whispered. "He's not who you think he is."

     "I need to do this. You have to trust me," she said. "Run ahead. Get out of here! We have to split up!" Natasha nodded and ran off with Grutee. Zena stayed to help Nathan to his feet and together they made a slow pace towards the closest tree line. They were almost there when Nathan froze.

     "Wait!" He said, patting his hooded jacket. "My book!"

     "Leave it!" She demanded. "You'll get caught if you turn back now!"

     "No!" He shouted, his voice growing deeper. "You did this on purpose! You never wanted me to have the book!"

     "No, I- I didn't," she said, her heart racing. Nathan was already acting out of sorts. She looked over to the tree line. Was she going to make it if she ran now? Nathan's breathing grew heavy and he emitted a growl that resembled a low rumble. But before he lashed out, he realized something.

     "Wait," Nathan said. "I thought you were hypnotized." With that, Zena looked back at him. Purple rings began to form around the irises of his eyes again, matching his fiery temper.

     "YOU TRICKED ME!!" he screamed, completely out of control. Zena fell back as he started a slow advance. "I thought I could trust you. But you tricked me! And for that you'll pay!"

     He wouldn' hurt me, would he? She wondered to herself. After the way he treated her earlier in the day it was completely possible. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had to stop him.

     Nathan raised his arms as if to cast a spell and he began chanting out a few words. Zena realized her time was up. Nathan, or Nadyr, had to be stopped now, or never.

     "NOT TODAY!!" She screamed, casting a bright light to blind him.

     "I should've expected that!" Nathan laughed. "And I did! You think I didn't pay attention to that wizard's words? I didn't care to listen to him, but how many times did he remind us about predictability and how you need to know your enemy? 'When desperate, your enemy will undoubtedly go for their most powerful attack' he said. I countered your spell before you even shouted out your command. How pitiful! Face it, you're weak!" Nathan bellowed out a wicked, almost screechy cackle. Suddenly the ground started to tremble.

     "So you did listen to his lectures," She laughed tauntingly back. "What makes you think that was my strongest move?" Nathan's face went blank as he stared uncertainly at Zena. He looked around. What was going on?

     Suddenly vines emerged from the nearby tree line and out of the ground, wrapping thick cords around Nathan's entire body. He struggled feverishly to get free, but remained immobile as he watched Zena disappear into the nearby forest.

     "I'll get you back for this!!" He yelled. By then Zena was gone. She watched from the distance as Judge Hog cut him loose and took him away.

     **********

     "So how are you feeling, Obs?" Natasha asked with concern when they met back up at headquarters.

     "Relieved?" Zena said. She had spent most of the day fearing for her safety and the safety of the world. Now with Nathan in custody, he could get the help he needed. She knew deep down he was still the Nathan she knew growing up. She hoped that one day the real Nathan would come back. "And heartbroken. He was my best friend." Natasha gave her a hug and Grutee wiped away a tear.

     "But it's for the best," Zena said.

     "I think so too," Natasha answered, but felt it was best to change the subject. "So what's next?" Zena looked around her. Everyone that was not hypnotized had gone home for the night apart from the odd watchperson. They had a very good thing going.

     "It would be sad to see all of the hard work we put into this guild go to waste," Zena said, pausing for a moment. "I say we find a new headquarters and continue to do what we do best." Natasha's ears perked up and she gave a small smile.

     "You might be onto something. After all, we're all just thieves working together..," Natasha said with a wink.

     "And even with our differences.. " Grutee chimed in, looking at his two close friends. "We're.."

     "THIEVES ALIKE!" They cheered.

     **********

     Epilogue

     **********

     Hector was resting on his back, staring into the sky when Zena arrived. He may as well had a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth as he pondered the day away. At least that's what Zena recalled many farmers did in the stories she read as a child. She approached him quietly.

     "Hi, Hector," she said. The large, Yellow Ixi jumped slightly at her voice, even though she spoke softly. He greeted her with a warm smile, followed by an unexpected, smothering hug. Hector seldom liked to show his emotion, but he really missed his little sister.

     "Zena! How unexpected! It's great to see you!" He said, making her blush a little.

     "I bet you don't get many visitors out here, being so far away from the village," she said.

     "Not entirely true. Merchants pass through here daily to be honest. In fact, I don't even need to go into Silver Hills anymore. I buy and sell everthing I need out here."

     "That's where I just came from," Zena said. The village had already seemed foreign to her and fortunately far from destroyed. She visited her house where she observed a boy and girl running around the front yard. The house was freshly manecured and a fence now replaced the border of spruce trees that once lined their backyard. She didn't look in the backyard, but she could see the tree her parents planted still standing, a little taller than before. She had assumed it was completely destroyed in the storm she created a couple years prior. She envisioned her parents' wreath still hanging on its main trunk, which brought a smile to her face. Then she left Silver Hills to visit Hector.

     "How'd it go?" Hector asked.

     "Most of our friends were happy to see me, except for Mr. Moe-stachio," Zena said, stopping abruptly after she realized that was Nathan's nickname for the man who tried to send him away to an obedience school.

     "Who's that?" He laughed.

     "Oh, Mr. Tachi. It was the nickname Nathan gave him behind his back," she said. Hector rolled his eyes. He wasn't a fan of Nathan.

     "And how's Nathan? You guys still hanging out?" He asked.

     "No, not anymore," she said before becoming weepy. She told him the story of how he had changed.

     "So he goes by Nadyr now?" He asked.

     "Yeah," she sighed and grew quiet.

     "I told you I never trusted him. I thought he was a bad influence on you," Hector said, but he understood how upset Zena was. "But I never thought he would ever do anything so ruthless."

     "It has been a struggle trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened. When I left Silver Hills, we came across a small house in the woods that belonged to a man named Malvus. He told me about the war between our village and the others. He said that evil isn't invisible and that there are no such things as Super Villians. It's just bad people doing bad things. Everyone has a choice. You can fight for good or for evil, but you are never any less human. He was referring to the war, but I guess that also applies to Nathan. At the end of the day, he was just Nathan, and he could be stopped."

     "Makes sense," her brother said.

     "Even though he made his choice, I still miss who he was. This wasn't how the story was supposed to go. But I have to accept who he is and move on," she said, head down. Hector wrapped his arm comfortingly around her and gave her a moment to let her frustrations out.

     "So, who was this man in the woods?" Hector asked finally about Malvus.

     "Malvus? I guess he used to teach magic at the school in Silver Hills before magic was banned. He taught mom and dad and even knew who you were. He knew lots of stories about them and shared a few with me."

     "Really?" Hector rarely liked to talk about his parents, but he was clearly interested. "Like what?"

     Zena began telling stories about their parents, many of which Hector had never heard before. In turn, Hector even shared a few stories about what he remembered. Those stories ended up being even more special to Zena. Until that moment, Hector had never talked about their parents.

     They spent the rest of the afternoon laying under the sun, reminiscing about their younger years. Zena had never felt more at home as she did in that moment, and she wouldn't have change that moment for anything in the world.

     **********

     Nadyr paced back and forth in his darkened cell.

     "I can't believe she did this to me," he muttered violently to himself. "After all we've been through and all I've done for her!" He paused and slammed the palm of his hand against the wall in frustration.

     "She will pay for this!!" Nadyr clenched his fist and brought it down by his side before pacing again.

     He paused again when he heard a brief noise of something sliding under his cell door. He walked over and looked out through the bars that contained him to see who was there, but no one was in view.

     "Who's there?!" He demanded

     "Quit your yelping!" One of the guards shouted back. Nadyr looked down at his feet. To his surprise, Morguss’ Spell Book lay on the floor in front of him. A wicked smile slowly crept across his face as he carefully picked it up and returned to the corner of his cell.

     Leafing through the pages calmed him down. He had a good feeling things were going to work out for him after all.

     The End.